When working with NLP filters of perception, we can create change by changing the neurological, sensory, and language filters. Within these 3 categories, we work on various subcategories.
You may look at a more simplistic explanation of the filters of perception for how we perceive.
NLP Filters of Perception
NLP Filters of Perception
The idea of understanding NLP filters of perception is that
- We understand that a filter creates a personalized view of reality that is different from reality.
- The NLP filters of perception affect how we perceive and act.
- We understand how the NLP filter of perception works.
- How we can influence the NLP filter of perception so that we can act the way we want?
The NLP communication model will give us an NLP view of how the mind works. Working with NLP filters of Perception helps us change our perception and also change our perspective.
Subtle changes at the level of these filters affect our subjective experience. The new learnings have an impact on our inner representations, leading to more appropriate states for desired actions and outcomes.
Let us look at the terms and a brief introduction for understanding the sensory, experience, and language filters to understand what we call the NLP Filters of Perception.
1. The Sensory Filters -NLP Filters of Perception
We perceive the world through our 5 senses. The sense to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell is called as follows:
- Visual is to See internally and externally.
- Auditory is to hear internally and externally.
- Kinesthetic is feeling the various sensations inside the body or on its surface.
- Olfactory is the ability to distinguish the scents.
- Gustatory is the ability to distinguish tastes.
In NLP an acronym VAKOG is often used to represent the 5 senses. A shorter acronym VAK is used to represent the 3 dominant senses.
5 Sense Filters – VAKOG -NLP Filters of Perception
In business, we prefer to use objective language whereas we communicate with ourselves internally using subjective language. Hence understanding this subjective language, needs us to have a better understanding of how we use our 5 senses.
The Sense faculty or ability to gather external sensory data for each one is different. VAKOG data may be gathered with different amounts of details leading to different sensory perceptions.
In NLP work we learn to use our sensory skills in many ways.
- When working with internal representations which affect our behavior, we work with VAKOG data. By altering VAKOG, the inner representation is reprogrammed for more appropriate outcomes.
- We understand our dominant sense faculties for inner representations.
- We understand communication preferences with respect to VAKOG
- When communicating we use their preferred sense faculties for faster rapport.
2. The Language Filters -NLP Filters of Perception
Our language determines what meaning we attach to the sensory data we perceive. We express ourselves externally using Verbal and Non-Verbal Language. Internally we make sense of our sensory inputs.
Meta Programs
Our Meta programs are your mental shortcuts that make sense of the sensory data we receive from the outside world. These are the major characteristics of our personality.
There are many personality tests and the 16 MBTI personality types are a popular way to classify personalities.
However, when using NLP we are not interested in classifying personality types. We are more interested in opening up to more possibilities and focusing on personal growth. In NLP we use meta-programs to improve our response to specific situations. In doing so our mental shortcuts get updated.
Values /Beliefs /Attitudes -NLP Filters of Perception
Values
All of us pay attention to what we Value. These things/ideas are important to us, and therefore we find them valuable.
Generally speaking, we may like more of what we value, and would not care much about something we do not value. People who value sports or money will find it easier to get along with each other.
At times we may observe people may have similar Values but their responses can be different. It’s not one value that shapes our actions. How much do we value one thing over the other? What is the thing most valuable to you? What is the hierarchy of our values determines how we respond to a real-life situation.
Getting clarity on our value hierarchy, and the order of our values gives us an insight into why we do what we do. If our values are not in line with our outcomes. In such a situation we will need to reassess our values as well as the outcomes until we can have both working in sync.
Beliefs
The next filter is beliefs. Beliefs are generalizations about how the world is. Beliefs are the assumptions that we have about the way the world is that either create or deny personal power to us. So, beliefs are essentially our on/off switch. In the process of working with someone’s beliefs, it’s important to discover what beliefs they have that cause them to do what they do. We also want to find out the disabling beliefs, the ones that do not allow them to do what they want to do.
These are what support our values. Beliefs are what we hold to be true, about ourselves, others, and the world. Whether religious or not, we all have beliefs, and the quality of our beliefs significantly influences the quality of our life.
Attitude
Our emotions affect our attitude. Emotional states are a result of our immediate response to our environment.
Besides the external situations and associated emotional states, “Values and Beliefs” shape your attitude.
Decisions -NLP Filters of Perception
We are here today because of the decisions that we have made in the past. Not only do decisions decide our pathways, but they also affect our perceptions. Some decisions might have been taken as coping mechanisms at a very early age, and are forgotten. But the effect is still there.
These are the past decisions about who we are and what we are capable of. They affect the decisions that we are faced with in the present. Past decisions are what create our present values, beliefs, and attitudes, therefore they influence how we respond to current situations.
Every cause has an effect. We have to accept the consequences of our past actions. At the same time, we can shape our future based on the actions we take in the present moment. When we start taking action with a better set of Values/Beliefs/Attitudes, we shall get better outcomes. Value/Beliefs/Attitude improves the quality of thoughts. However, we need to take decisions so that thoughts can translate into positive action. Hence decision-making is very important.
In NLP, we focus on increasing the choices. Unless we can have access to better choices, we can not take better decisions. Even in situations, we find ourselves stuck, we can find new choices through NLP techniques.
Memories -NLP Filters of Perception
Our memories are a very powerful filter.
In fact, a number of psychologists say that the present plays a very small part in our behavior. They believe that as we get older, our reactions in the present are more and more just reactions to gestalts (collections of memories that are organized in a certain way) of past memories, Some use Time Line Therapy to make changes in our memories for positive future outcomes. We can build a future based on the strengths and learnings from our past. We take milestone events from our past (memory) and build the past timeline and project it to the future.
These are the past individual and collective experiences that influence our current perceptions. Our present behaviors are significantly influenced by our collections of past memories.
Do we commit everything to memory? No. We do not pay any attention to most of the events as they do not affect us much at the sensory/ physiological level, emotional level, or intellectual level.
Most of the events in our day to day to experience are not recorded in our memory for long. The events that remain in our memory for a long which have higher intensity. Events that stick have affected us at the body/mind/intellect level significantly either positively or negatively.
3. The Neurological Filters- NLP Filters of Perception
Perception happens only in the realm of time and space. We do not have any perception of our deep sleep state. Our mind is the basic instrument of perception and is available to us during the waking states and dream states.
The neurological filters of the mind help us make sense of the information that we perceive in terms of name and form.
We will now focus on the perception that happens in the waking state. In this state, we experience body/matter and energy/ physiological sensations in the body. In the waking state, we experience Time and Space as well as Matter and Energy.
“Time or Space” and “Energy or Matter” -NLP Filters of Perception
Time moves slowly or fast depending on our perception. In NLP we use techniques to change the subjective experience where time feels slower or faster compared to the referential experience.
Space also plays an important role in our subjective experiences. It may be infinite or small. The location of other objects in this space also affects our subjective experiences.
The food that we consume gives us the energy for our actions and perception. This energy perception varies depending upon the physiological functioning of the body and the state of our mind. Besides the general flow of energy in our body, we also come across sensations in our body which are the feedback of the interaction between the body and mind. Working with these sensations in a particular context can help us address the underlying challenges that our mind wants us to address.
In certain situations, our subjective experiences have a feeling of weight, pressure, etc which give a feeling of matter within. Working with these aspects of the subjective experience, we can create subtle changes.
Names and Forms -NLP Filters of Perception
The mind relates to the experience using name and form. When we think of a name, the corresponding form appears in our minds. When we think of a form, the corresponding name comes to our mind.
We take in all the information at the sensory level. The subjective experience of reality is in terms of time or space, matter, or energy. However, at the objective level, we deal with names and forms.
Deletions, Distortions, and Generalizations -NLP Filters of Perception
Since our mind has to deal with a lot of sensory information, it has a natural tendency to delete, distort and generalize information to make it easier to process information more efficiently.
Deletions, Distortions, and Generalizations are very useful to humans and the mind does a great job of it. In NLP when we focus on the outcomes we need, we may review our experiences. During the process of review, with our focus on the outcomes, we desire some of this information may subtly change, making it easier for us to achieve our goals.
Deletions
Our minds can wander anywhere. It has an infinite range. Our mind helps us focus on the world around us. Even in the world around us, we selectively pay attention to certain aspects of our experience and not others. We overlook or omit others. Without deletion, we would be faced with too much information. The mind kind of dims the information of lesser importance to us into background information. The more important information is relatively vivid.
Distortions
Our minds are working all the time. It is super imaginative as well. If some part of the information is not understood, the mind will use its imagination to fill in the missing information. Hence parts of our experience can be illusory or distorted. When we have a distorted view of situations, we develop negative feelings towards people or objects involved. We can deliberately distort our existing experience to make it easier for us to focus on the outcomes we want. Whether real or imagined our experiences are very potent.
Generalizations
It is said that usually, the conscious mind can only handle seven (plus or minus 2) pieces of information at any given time. With more information, it gets overloaded. So, we tend to oversimplify, make decisions, and set attitudes based on insufficient information. Generalization is very useful for us humans, as it reduces the amount of information we have to store. Our minds are used to generalization to make it easier for us to process information and focus on our own limited vision.
We may draw global conclusions based on one or two experiences. With one or two experiences, we may form an opinion about all similar experiences. For example, you may eat a dish from a cuisine one day and form a view that this cuisine is not good. There could be a number of reasons for you not to like the dish. However, there are many people who like that cuisine. With one referential experience, if we form a view that cuisine is not good, it’s a generalization.
Internal Dialogue
These filters of perception affect our perspective or the way we think. This affects our inner dialogue or the self-talk that we do.
Our inner dialogue plays an important aspect in how we give meaning to our experiences, and what action to take. We do not speak all the time. However, in our minds, we make sense of our experiences and taking decisions.
The subconscious mind gives us continuous feedback. When our conscious mind and subconscious mind are in sync with decisions, we take decisions with confidence.
Our decisions and in turn our actions depend on our experiences and inner dialogue.
NLP Filters of Perception & more
Name and Form connect our subjective and objective experiences of reality. In NLP techniques we name a subjective experience for easy recall so that it becomes easier to work with these subjective experiences and associated situations in life.
We looked at the 3 main types of NLP filters of perception, Sensory, Language, and Neurological. With each type, we have seen various opportunities to influence our perception and perspective.
NLP Filters of Perception get updated in various NLP strategies, techniques, and patterns and hence it is good to have some clarity on the topic.
NLP Meta Modelling technique is used to recover lost information due to the filters of deletion, distortion, and generalization.
There are NLP language patterns and other techniques to update the Meta Programs or mental shortcuts that we have created using our language.
These NLP techniques help us to decode the way we think and update it or encode the right thinking to help us achieve our outcomes.
Besides NLP filters of Perception, internal representation management, and state and physiology management along with our conscious intellectual ability are also important functions of the mind. All of these functions of the mind our important and we can see how we can Change Our Behavior With NLP